In many countries where fair trade products are for sale, such as in the Scandinavian countries, Germany, France, The United States and Canada, there are fair trade volunteers. Fairtrade Action Network (FANE) is an international network for Fair Trade volunteers, initially founded a few years ago by Pro Fair Trade Finland, now Pro Ethical Trade Finland. FANE connects volunteers in Fair Trade to act in global Fair Trade campaigns, and supports the exchange of information, knowledge, campaign ideas and materials between the active Fair Trade volunteers.
Learn more and join us on our website at www.fairtradeaction.net. On the website, you can share your experiences of volunteering, send in your own photos or campaign materials for other volunteers to use, and find many kinds of tips for campaigns to promote fair trade.
You can join the the FANE mailing list here.
More background info about FANE:
FANE was started as an EU project, which was co-ordinated by Pro Fair Trade Finland in 2006-2009. Partners of the project were Fair Trade Finland and Eesti Roheline Liikumine in Estonia. The FANE network itself was established in 2007 at a weekend seminar in Helsinki 5th-7th October 2007, where more than 50 Fair Trade volunteers and activists from 12 countries participated. The participants in this first seminar decided to kick off the international co-operation by taking part in the International Fair Trade Day, May 10th 2008. Plans for that day included Fair Trade Breakfast Table campaigns, co-operation with schools, and much more. A follow-up seminar for FANE was organised 5th-8th June 2008 in Tallinn, Estonia.
Right now, the network continues functioning through volunteer action, and it is being coordinated by an international board with members from France, Belgium, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Italy and Finland. The board's mailing address is board(at)eetti.fi and the Finnish representative on the board is Hazel Salminen (hazel(at)fairtradeaction.net).
International volunteer action in Finland
In Finland, the international connections are upheld by the Pro Ethical Trade Helsinki local group.
International links:
* The FLO Newsletter:
* The Fair Trade Advocacy Office in Brussels:
http://www.fairtrade-advocacy.org
* The United Students for Fair Trade mailing list (US):
http://www.usft.org/index.php?p=/Resources/MailingLists/
* The Fairtrade Foundation (UK):